New insights for IL-6 targeted therapy as an adjuvant treatment for non-small-cell lung cancer

摘要

IL-6 has been identified as a powerful cyto-kine that is responsible for carcinogenesis, neo-angiogenesis, malignant transformation and distant metastasis [1]. Increased levels of IL-6 have been associated with increased risk of cancer development for the general population, but also for nonsmoking women with asthma/atopy [2]. IL-6 has been identified as a biomarker significantly associated with overall survival, advanced stage cancer [3,4] and with early cancer recurrence after curative lung cancer surgery [5]. IL-6 has been identified as a late biomarker for lung cancer risk development (<2 years); however, IL-8 has been identified as an early biomarker for cancer (>2 years) [2]. The levels of IL-6 have been directly associated with chemotherapy treatment response in lung cancer patients [3]. In the case of targeted therapy in lung cancer patients with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) it was observed that although the treatment was effective, the levels of IL-6 increased and increased production of a-actin and collagen [6].